The FBI has uncovered a Russian spy ring in New York and arrested one of its members — even though the spies didn't accomplish much at all. So are the arrests just a way for the US to distract from its lack of bargaining power as Russia steps up its involvement in Ukraine again?

Updated

01/22/2015 - 8:00am

The myth of energy independence, despite US assertions. "If I was Saudi Arabia, and I didn't want to lose marketshare to these producers in Texas, I would send them a signal that any time I want to ... I can basically ruin the economics of your industry," says one energy expert.

Only two countries in the world have no protected right to paid maternity leave: Papua New Guinea and the United States. But after a call for maternity leave in the State of the Union, President Barack Obama is trying to change that in 2015.

Updated

12/05/2014 - 11:00am

He's not a rock star or an actor, but Martín Lousteau is a celebrity in Argentina — even though he's an economist. He's also not alone. The quirky popularity of attractive economists in Argentina belies the country's real, everyday problems with inflation.

Street vendors and hawkers are a vital part of life for many Indians, who get their daily needs like fruit and vegetables from carts and stalls. But as malls and supermarkets spring up around the country, the hawkers are struggling and worried for their survival.

Argentina defaulted for the second time in 13 years after last-ditch talks with US hedge funds collapsed. Many Argentines worry that unless a deal is reached, another default could crash the peso and lead to inflation and unemployment.

For some in Ukraine, the mounting protests for integration with the European Union is about more than politics. That's one reason Espreso TV's Anastasia Melnyk can host a morning news show in Kiev and then join the protests in the city's main square.

Street vendors and hawkers are a vital part of life for many Indians, who get their daily needs like fruit and vegetables from carts and stalls. But as malls and supermarkets spring up around the country, the hawkers are struggling and worried for their survival.

Many in France are bemused by the sudden rise to fame in the US of French economist Thomas Piketty. Piketty's analysis that rising income inequality is bad for the global economy just doesn't seem so astonishingly new to the French.

Western sanctions are taking a bite out of certain Russian wallets right now. But if those sanction targets think they've been unfairly targeted, there's one woman they can turn to. Her name is Maya Lester, and she'd made a living helping Syrians, Egyptians and others beat western sanctions.

Many in France are bemused by the sudden rise to fame in the US of French economist Thomas Piketty. Piketty's analysis that rising income inequality is bad for the global economy just doesn't seem so astonishingly new to the French.

Updated

12/05/2014 - 11:00am

He's not a rock star or an actor, but Martín Lousteau is a celebrity in Argentina — even though he's an economist. He's also not alone. The quirky popularity of attractive economists in Argentina belies the country's real, everyday problems with inflation.

Street vendors and hawkers are a vital part of life for many Indians, who get their daily needs like fruit and vegetables from carts and stalls. But as malls and supermarkets spring up around the country, the hawkers are struggling and worried for their survival.

Only two countries in the world have no protected right to paid maternity leave: Papua New Guinea and the United States. But after a call for maternity leave in the State of the Union, President Barack Obama is trying to change that in 2015.